Faucet



Aug. 15, 1944.

F. E. RICE FAUCET original Filed oct. 4, 1940 Il.; Illlllllllll.

I. IIIIIIII.

Patented Aug. 15, 1944 EAUCET Frank E. Rice, deceased, late of Detroit,Mich., by Nelson E. Rice, administrator, Detroit, Mich.

Original application October 4, 1940, Serial No.

359,661, now Patent No. 2,331,729, dated October 12, 1943.

Divided and this application February 13, 1942, Serial No.. 430,752

2 Claims.

This application is a division of the co-pending application entitledDirect draw faucet assembly, filed October 4, 1940, United States SerialNo. 359,661, now Patent No. 2,331,729, granted October 12, 1943.

This invention relates to a beverage dispenser and more particularly toa beer faucet arranged and constructed for cooperation with a draw rodassembly for together insulating, from room temperatures, a small volumeof beer trapped therein during periods of inactivity as described in theabove-mentioned co-pending application.

At the present time, great diiiiculty is experienced in providingfaucets for carbonated beverages which will assure the drawing of asingle glass of the beverage at the proper temperature and carbonationafter the faucet has remained idle and has been exposed to roomtemperatures for a period of time. This is particularly true when thebeverage is beer. During warm weather, even an idle period of fifteenminutes will result in the first glass of bear being unsalable due toexcess foam and increased temperature of the liquid. As the solubilityof carbon dioxide gas decreases as the temperature increases, the beercontained in such a faucet will lose much of its carbonation and thefree gas will form pockets which cause spitting or sudden bursts ofliquid when the faucet is opened, with the result that excess foam isformed as the beer is being drawn.

While this problem may be solved satisfactorily by refrigerating orcooling the casing of the faucet, the results are unsatisfactory clue tothe increased manufacturing costs andcomplications in fabrication ofthis type of faucet.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention toeliminate these objections by providing an inexpensive andunrefrigerated faucet assembly.

Another object of this invention is to provide a faucet so constructedas to hold a very small volume of beverage therein during periods ofinactivity.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a faucetconstructed to cooperate with a refrigerated draw rod assembly whereby asmall volume of beverage, trapped therein during periods of inactivity,is maintained at substantially the same temperature as in therefrigerated source from which the beverage is drawn.

Another and still further object of this invention is to provide afaucet adapted to be coupled to a refrigerated draw rod assembly andhaving a valve member extending into the draw rod assembly for defininga refrigerated flow continuation therefrom.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a faucetadapted to be coupled to a refrigerated draw rod assembly which effectsthe drawing, from a refrigerated source of supply, of a salable glass ofbeer having the proper amount of foam and the proper carbonation andtemperature even after the faucet has remained out of operation for longperiods ofV time in relatively high room temperatures. Y

A further object of this invention is the lprovision of a faucet havinga novel handle and valve construction which cooperate with cam action.

Another and still further object of this invention is the provision of afaucet having a handle and valve construction in which the handle isautomatically returned to a valve-closed position when operatedpartially between its operating limits and which may be actuated toafull valve-opened position and retained in that position until manuallyreturned partway when the faucet is again automatically closed.

The novel features believed to be characteristic of the presentinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organi'- zation and manner ofconstruction, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which: K

Figure 1 is an elevational view, as seen from one side, of a faucetconnected to a refrigerated draught tube assembly in accordance with theprinciples of this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken vertical crosssectional View showingdetails of construction of the nfaucet in connection with a draught tubeassembly as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse cross-,sectional view takensubstantially along the plane indicated by the line III- III of Figure2; and,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the valvehead assembly illustrated in Figure 2.

The assembly device illustrated in Figure 1 generally comprises a faucetconstruction l0 and a connected draught tube assembly II. A portion l2of a refrigerating box or container is illustrated only for the purposeof showing the faucet construction Il) and a portion of' the draughttube assembly Il as being exposed to room temperatures. The connectionbetween the As best shown in the enlarged broken sectional view inFigure 2, there is illustrated a tubular shell I4 lined on its innerside with cork I5 or other suitable insulating material. At the upperend of the shell there is provideda closure cap` I 6 having a lowerportion I1 of reduced diameter for abutment insertion within the shell.While no insulating material has been shown for lining the cap I6, corkor other suitable and similar insulation may be used if desired. Aspacer bushing I8 is inserted within the lower end of the shell I4 withits outer face in ush relation with the lower edge of the shell.' Thisbushing is provided with a peripheral wall I9 for engagement with theinner surface of the shell I4 and a centrai apertured bushing 2|] forreceiving therethrough the draught tube II. 'I'he bushing 23 isconnected to the peripheral wall I9 by means of -a plurality of ribs orspiders 2|. As the side walls of the draught tube II are too thin to permit the draught tube to be pressed through the central aperture of thebushing 20, the draught tube is connected to the bushing by solder orother suitable means.

The upper end of the draught tube II is threaded for connection to aninternally threaded elbow member 22. As shown, the elbow 22l is providedwith a downwardly extending leg 23 which is internally threaded as at 24for'connection to the draught tube. A shorter legr 25 is disposed inangular relation to the leg 23 for a purpose to be more fully describedhereinafter. The side walls of the elbow 22 are apertured 'as at 22a toallow for air circulation through the elbow and downwardly within thedraught tube II. The top wall 26 of the elbow 22 is thickened andprovided with a threaded recess into which is inserted a caprscrew 21for the purpose of aiding in the supportrof'the elbow by the cap I6. Itis to be noted that the connection between the bushing I8 andthe draughttube II together with the Vconnection between the cap screw 21 and theelbow 22 Yprovides an axial support for the operative structure ofthedraught rod and faucet assembly. Y

A nozzle assembly 28-is formed as a union with a female coupling portionat one end formed by a coupling sleeve 29 and an internally threadedcoupling nut 39. The sleeve 29 is provided at one vend with a reducedportion 3I which is pressed into the short hollow leg 25 of the elbowmember 22. If desired, this connection can be made more positive bysoldering, welding, threading or the like. An outwardly extending flange32 is provided adjacent the opposite end of the coupling sleeve againstvwhich the inner shoulder of the -loosely swiveled coupling nut 39 abutswhen threadedly connected to the nozzle proper 33. The outer surface ofthe couplingk nut 30 is knurled as shown in Figure 1, to provide a roughsurface for aiding in turning the nut by hand when the parts areconnected together.

The nozzle 33 forms the male portion ofthe union nozzle assembly'28. Oneend of vthenozzle 33 is provided with exterior threads for `engagementwith the interior threads of lthe coupling nut 30 whereby a tighteningof the coupling nut draws the end of the nozzle 33 into abutment withthe outer face of the flange 32. In order that the coupling sleeve 29and the nozzle proper 33 be connected in proper alignment so that thenozzle outlet faces downwardly as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a, slot32a,l is provided in the flange 32 of the sleeve 29 for receivingtherein a forwardly extending lug' 33a on the threaded end of the nozzle33.

A rece'ss 34 is provided at the threaded end of the nozzle 33 forreceiving therein an end of the sleeve 29, and a sealing washer 35 isinterposed ybetween the end of the sleeve 29 and the shoulder formed atthe end of the recess 34 to provide a duid-tight ljoint when the unionparts comprising the faucet assembly 28 are connected together.

At an intermediate inner portion of the nozzle 33, there is provided areduced passageway 36 forming a valve seat 31. Between the valve seat 31and the recess 34 there is formedan enlarged valve chamber 38 whosepurpose is to be described more fully hereinafter.

The reduced chamber 36 is continued in two angularly extending branches,one of which extends in an axial direction as a reduced guide cylinder39 and the other continued in anfangular direction therefrom as a nozzleopening 49 which is formed by the tap or spigot 4I.

The outwardly extending end of the nozzle 33 terminates in a portion ofU-shaped conguration in cross section having a web 42 and spacedparallel side walls 43, only one of which is shown in Figure 2..

A handle member 44 is provided at one end with acam portion 45 which ispivotally connected to and between the side Walls 43 by means of a screwor pivot pin 46. Substantially rightangularly extending cam surfaces 41and 48 are provided respectively at the end and top edge of the camportion 45 to form a slightly rounded corner 45a therebetween. When thepivoted handle V44 is rocked to the position illustrated in Figure 2,the cam surface 48 moves into engagement with the offset inner surface49 of thefweb portion 42. A shoulder 50 is provided thereby for engaginga portion of the cam surface 41.

A ball handle or grip 5I is formed at the end of the member 44 oppositethe cam end in order that the handle may be grasped and rocked about its`pivot 43. The handle 5I may be formed of any suitable material and itis preferred that it be formed of a suitable colored plastic whichcontrasts with the metal finish of the faucet assembly, A fluid tube 52,of smaller diameter than the inside diameter of the draught tube II, hasone end inserted within a portion of the end 3l of the coupling sleeve29. The inserted end is flared slightly outwardly as at 53 to eliminatethe possi-v bility o-f the tube 52 being pulled out of engage# ment fromwithin the sleeve 29.' The tube 52 is then bent angularly downward topass through the elbow member 22 and a portion of the draught tube I Iin coaxial alignment therewith. A bush# ing 54 is sweat into place orotherwise suitably secured to the inner surface of the side walls of thedraught rod II to tightly embrace a portion of the lower end of thefluid tube 52. This connection provides a fluid-tight joint between the.tubes il and 52 and, together with the connection of the tube at itsother end 53, supports the iiuid tube inv its co-axial relationship withthe draught tube II. The bushing 54 has an inner outwardly ared surface.55 connecting the end of the tube 52 to the inner surface of the draughttubeHII for the purpose of eliminating pockets between the different'sized fluid passageways defined by the draft tube l l and the iiuidtube52.

The inner bore of the coupling Sleeve 29 adjacent the end 53 of thefluid tube 52 is arranged to slidingly receive a portion of the tubularshank 56 of a valve assembly 51. Adjacent the sliding bore, is a bore 58of increased diameter sufficiently large to retain a coil spring 59whichl embraces the tubular valve end 56.

As best shown in Figure 4, the valve assembly 51 comprises a head 60 ofcircular cross section having at one end a recess for receiving thereinthe reduced end portion 6I of a rubber valve member 62. The outwardlyextending end o'f the rubber valve 62 is rounded for the purpose ofseating against an edge of the seat 31 defined between the differentlysized chambers 36 and 38,.

The opposite end of the head 60 terminates in the tubular portion 56.Portions of the head 69, adjacent the tubular portion 56, are cut out toprovide orices 63 and 64 which communicate with the interior of thetubular end 56, thereby providing a fluid now passageway from the fluidtube 52 into the chamber 3B. The tubular endv 56 has a shoulder 35formed at its connection with the valve head D to provide an abutmentfor one end of the co-il spring 59 whose other end seats at the end ofthe enlarged bore 58 in the sleeve 29.

The valve 62 has been described as being of rubber. It is to beunderstood, however, that the use of any other suitable material for thepurpose of seating on the seat 31 is within the scope of this invention.The rubber Valve 62 is maintained in its seated engagement within thehead 60 by means of a flanged shaft. The rubber valve 62 has a centralaperture into which partially extends a bearing bushing 66 having anoutwardly extending flange 51 at one end thereof for abutment againstthe outer end of the rubber valve. A shaft 68 is formed to provide aflange 69 adjacent an end thereof. The extremity of the shaft isthreaded as at 16 for engagement within a second recess formed at thebottom of the head recess which seats the reduced end 6| of the rubbervalve. The second recess is provided with threads into which thethreaded end of the shaft 68 is inserted and when so connected the shaftange 69 abuts against the flange 51 of the bearing bushing 66.

v At the other end of the shaft 6B, there is provided a guide portion1l. the outer end 12 of which is preferably formed integral with theshaft and is of increased diameter. The shaft, immediately adjacent theouter end portion 12, is of increased diameter as at 68a, to receive anembracing sleeve 13 which is pressed thereon after being passed over theange portion 59 for assembly. This sleeve is of the same diameter as theouter end 12 and is preferably formed of brass or other similar andsofter material. The end 12 and the sleeve 13 together form a guidewhich slides within the guide cylinder 39. The guide 1! together withthe tubular end portion 56 guides and axially supports the rubber valve62 in its movement toward and away from the valve seat 31. It is to benoted that the diameter of the valve chamber 38 is larger than that ofthe valve head Si) to permit fluid to flow thereby into and through thespigot 4I when the valve is moved away from its seat 31.

When the handle 44 is in a vertical position as illustrated in Figure 1,the valve assembly 51 is in a position in which the rubber valve 62 isseated against the. seat 31 to close the faucet against fluid flow. Byrocking the handle to the right or in a clockwise direction about itsend portion 12 of the shaft 68 slides along the guide cylinder 39 byreason of itsY cam engage--A ment with the corner'45a at the end of thehandle between the camY surfaces 41 and 4S. `las long as this camengagement is between the corner a. and the shaft end portion 12, thepressure of the coil spring 59 will'be sufficient to rock the handle 44back to its normal for vertical closed position by reason of the handle'corner lying below the pivot 46. However, if the Cam corner 45a. isoperated above the end portion 12 so that the latter engages against thecam surface 41, then a release of the handle 44 will no-t effect areturn of the handle to its vertical position. The angularity of thiscam engagement, as shown in Figure 2, is such that compression of thecoil spring 59 tends to urge the edge cam surface 48 into engagementwith the inner or off-set surface 49 of the web 42. In other words,compression of the coil spring 59 will automatically rock the handleback to its vertical or-closed position providing the handle is notrocked to a position in which the cam corner lies above the upper edgeof the outer end 12 of the shaft 68. When the cam corner is rocked abovethe outer end 12 of the shaft, compression ofthe coil spring 59 willmaintain the handle 44 in 'a position in which the riozzle is open forfluid flow throughthe spigot In View of the cam action between theendro'f the handle 44 and the outer end 12 of the shaft 58, the reasonfor providing the end 12 as an in# tegral portion of the shaft becomesobvious and is for the purpose of reducing to a minimum any wearoccasioned by the constant sliding cam engagement between the parts. Thesleeve 13 is formed of brass or other suitable and softer material toeliminate 'the possibility of scoring the guide cylinder 39'.

Inasmuch as a carbonated beverage, such as beer, is confined in a barrelunder pressure, the beverage will ow upwardly through the draught tubeIl, the fluid tube 52, the tubular'end 55 of the valve, and into thechamber 38.' The beverage remains trapped within the chamber 38 untilthe handle 44 is actuated to force the valve 62 away from its seat 31.When the valve is opened, the beverage flows through the nozzle 4l intoa glass, stein, or other beverage container. A s shown in Figure 2, itwill be noted that the volume of trapped beverage within the uid tube52, the tubular end 56 of the valve structure, and the chamber 38 isvery small. By actual measurement this volume of fluid has been found tobe 8 cc. and is the amount of fluid which would normally be exu posed toroom temperatures when the faucet stands idle. Any uid trapped'withinthe draught tube Il below the fluid tube 52, will naturally be exposedto the refrigeration of the box I2. In addition, the trapped beveragewithin the uid tube 52 is exposed to refrigerated air which circulatesupwardly through the shell I4 and into the space between the fluid tubeand the draught tube by means of the openings 22a. Consequently, only avery small portion of the trapped beverage is actually exposed to roomtemperatures and is the volume trapped within the tubular end 56 of thevalve and the chamber 33. If the faucet device were allowed to stand forany length of time, the temperature of the trapped beverage within thetube 55 and chamber 38 would materially increase. As soon as the hanivot45, the

dle'M is moved to a position in which fluid or beverage is drawn throughthe nozzle, the cooled fluid Within the draught tube Il immediatelychills the valve tube 56 and the adjacent valve and nozzle structures.As this very small volume would be but a small portion of a glass ofbeverage, it is obvious that the temperature of the entire glass ofbeverage would vary but very little from the room temperature of thebeverage contained in the cooled draught tube Il. Furthermore, thevolume of trapped fluid exposed to room temperatures is so small thatthe amount of free carbon dioxide gas liberated as the temperature ofthe trapped liquid increases would be so small that the usual spittingor sudden bursts of liquid as the nozzle is opened would be entirelylacking. By reducing the amount of free carbon dioxide gas, theobjection to excess foaming in drawing beverage through the faucet isentirely eliminated.

'Ihe provision of insulation within the shell surrounding the upperportion of the draught tube retards the absorption of heat by thetrapped fluid within the fluid tube, the tubular end of the valvestructure and the chamber 38.

From the foregoing description, it will beobserved that a beveragedispensing device has been provided herein which is simple inconstruction, requires no refrigeration of the faucet and whichautomatically maintains the temperature and carbonation even of a firstglass of beverage drawn after the faucet has been allowed to standexposed to room temperatures for long periods of time. In fact, actualtests have been made in which the carbonation and temperature of a firstglass of beer was found to be substantially the same after the devicehad stood unused for a period of twenty hours.

While a particular embodiment only of this invention has beenillustrated, it will, of course, be understood that the invention wouldnot be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made and,therefore, it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover all suchmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is: y l

1. In a fluid faucet, a union nozzle assembly having male and femaleportions, said female portion comprising a hollow coupling sleeve, anoutwardly extending peripheral flange adjacent one end of said sleeve, aslot in said flange, concentric bores in said sleeve, and a coupling nutembracing said sleeve and having an inwardly extending ange at one endfor abutment against said sleeve flange and interior threadsat its otherend, said male portion comprising a hollow T- shaped spigot, a valvechamber at one end of said spigot, a reduced bore adjacent theretodening with said valve chamber a valve seat, said reduced bore beingcontinued in one branch in an axial direction in a guide cylinder ofreduced diameter and being continued in another branch in an angulardirection as an outlet, the end of said spigot opposite said valvechamber having a U-shaped cross section with spaced side walls and a webportion, a cam actuator connected to and between said spaced side wallsand having angular ycam surfaces defining a rounded corner therebetween,exterior threads on the valve chambered end of said spigot forengagement by the interior threads of said coupling nut, aresilientwasher between the ends of said coupling sleeve and spigot effecting afluid-tight union assembly when coupled by said nut, interlocking meanson said sleeve and spigot for holding them in alignment when connectedtogether, a valve structure in said union assembly for opening andclosing said outlet comprising a head in said valve chamber, a recess inone end of said head, an apertured resilient valve having a portionseated within said recess and a rounded portion extending beyond saidhead, a sleeve in said resilient Valve having a flange engaging an endthereof, a shaft having a threaded end for insertion through said sleeveand threadedly engaging said head, a flange on said shaft abutting theange of said sleeve to hold said resilient valve on said head, anenlarged guide on the other end of said shaft terminating in a roundedend and seated for sliding movement in said guide cylinder, a tubularshank at the opposite end of said head in the concentric bores of saidsleeve, orices in said head communicating with the interior of saidshank, and a coil spring in one of the concentric bores of said sleeveembracing said reduced tubular shank for normally maintaining said valveagainst said seat, said cam actuator engaging said enlarged guide on thevalve structure for moving the latter into and out of engagement withsaid valve seat.

2. A valve for a fluid faucet comprising a head, a recess at one end ofsaid head, an apertured resilient valve member having a portion seatedwithin said recess and a rounded portion extending beyond said head, asleeve in the aperture of said resilient valve member having a flangeengaging the extending end thereof, a shaft having a threaded end forinsertion through said sleeve and threadedly engaging said head, a angeon said shaft abutting the ange of said sleeve to hold said resilientvalve member on said head, an enlarged guide on the other end of saidshaft terminating in a rounded end, a reduced tubular shank at theopposite end of said head, and orifices in said head communicating withthe interior of said shank.

. NELSON E. RICE,

Administrator of the Estate of Frank E. Rice,

Deceased.

